Body Contouring - Know More About It!

After having lost all that excess weight either through exercise and diet or surgical intervention, you want to look fitter and healthier. But the excess loose skin embarrasses you and belittles your weight loss. In order to remedy that you can opt for body contouring procedures which help you lose the spare tire.

What is Body Contouring?
Body Contouring encompasses a range of surgical procedures. In most cases, these are opted for by patients who have undergone bariatric surgery. A surgeon will evaluate your medical history and discern any medical conditions that would help him determine which procedure is applicable.

How does it work?
Individuals who have had a drastic loss of weight might require multiple procedures. These procedures are planned and scheduled at intervals to suit the patient’s needs. Since the excess skin is usually found near the abdomen, arms and breast, the focus of the corrective procedures is concentrated in these areas.

Panniculectomy helps remove excess skin from the abdomen whereas a breast reduction surgery is used to shape and mold the breasts to a suitable size. A brachioplasty helps contour the arms in conjunction with a thigh lift.

If the facial muscles are found to be lax, a face lift might also be prescribed by your surgeon as the final step.

Pre-surgery Guidelines
A patient undergoing body-contouring surgeries needs to nicotine-free for at least six weeks prior to the procedure. One must also quit smoking for the duration of the recovery period. One must also strictly adhere to the diet prescribed by the surgeon, which will be different for different patients.

Possible Risks
The possible risks associated with body contouring surgeries are those which one would expect from any kind of surgery. Complications like loss of blood, infections may arise but they can be swiftly corrected. Scarring of the skin may occur but surgeons try to limit it as much as they can.

Recovery Period
If you take into account residual swelling and intervals between two procedures, results are discernible from 3 months after the first surgery. And scars lighten within 6-8 months of the initial procedure.
Consult your surgeon and make a comprehensive plan for these procedures before you opt for them.